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tauers-go-dutch · 7 years

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Concerts, Beer, and Independence

Dinant, Belgium

Over the past couple of weeks, Mariah and I have been laying low—er , well, laying low compared to the crazy travel we’ve been doing lately—but we’ve still been doing lots of fun things around Amsterdam (and Belgium). I thought I’d share some of our adventures.

Amsterdam has a great music scene, and we’ve been to some awesome concerts. First, we saw Linkin Park, whose Hybrid Theory CD was the first one I purchased way back in middle school. I have to say that though they are climbing in age, they put on a great show with an insane amount of energy. If you haven’t been keeping up with Linkin Park’s music lately, you should. The newer songs are pretty good, and their old hits from middle school still rock today. (Edit: this blog was written before lead singer Chester Bennington’s untimely death. We are sad and feel fortunate to have seen them live before he passed away.) Another middle school band, Sum 41, opened for them, and they actually cover Queen pretty well. Second, we saw Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats in a pretty cool outdoor theater just outside of Amsterdam. While it’s no Red Rocks, it does provide a nice backdrop to listen to some good music. I liked it so much that I bought Miranda Lambert tickets there for August. BTW, Nathaniel Rateliff is great live and worth seeing (don’t forget to check out his concert swag—one of the few non-beer shirts I now own). Third, we saw another country artist, American Young. While Amsterdam apparently has a respectable country following (not all of which are American expats), it has its limits. These guys didn’t pack the house, but we enjoyed the intimate concert on an otherwise sleepy Tuesday night.

Middle-school Mariah was pleased

Linkin Park. Pretty bummed about Chester Bennington.

Nathaniel Rateliff with Brent & Christine

We’ve also been passing the time with some friends, old and new. Our friend Tyler, who is about to return to Denver after spending two years in London, visited Amsterdam for a couple of days with his brother and a couple of friends. We had a great time checking out some of the bars around the city with these guys. Our friends Brent and Christine, who coincidentally moved from Denver to Amsterdam, hosted a Fourth of July party. It was great fun, especially since the majority of guests were not American, which provided a lot of opportunities for tongue-in-cheek jokes and gags. The best attire is a tie between the Dutch man, Jella, sporting the Trump shirt, and the Swedish man, Karl, in the Putin tee. (Yes, they were both worn as jokes.) We may have also introduced ‘shotgunning beers’ to all of the Europeans. Reactions ranged from ‘I gotta try this’ to a not-so-subtle eye-roll. On the actual 4th of July, I made a very American meal—steak and mac’n’cheese (Kraft, of course). It was a delicious reminder of home—thanks for the care packages everyone!

The American gang. See Mariah inserted herself appropriately.

Sparklers on the ‘Make America Great Again’ cake (take that as you will, given the lovely condition of the cake in the photo)

The two coolest guys at the party

Explaining how to ‘shotgun’ a beer

As I mentioned above, taking it easy was a relative term. While we haven’t flown anywhere for a few weeks, we did make a road trip to Belgium. Ok, ok, so it was a weekend trip, but honestly I’ve begun to just consider Belgium part of our backyard. As an aside, if anyone who wants to visit and has Belgium on their list, Brussels is a three-hour bus trip away, and it only costs 35 euro for the round trip. I’m always up for going!

We rented a car for a quick weekend to Belgium, chiefly to acquire some really nice Belgian lambics (sour beers from the region surrounding Brussels) and to visit a few Trappist abbeys. Our first stop, of course, was Cantillon in Brussels. While I normally enjoy staying for a beer or two at the brewery (and by ‘a beer’ I mean a 750mL bottle), we had a lot of stops and I only bought some (ok, several) beers to go. We stopped at a brunch/lunch spot called Peck 20 (sister café Peck 47 is in the city center if you’re visiting). Mariah had the house special (poached eggs and waffles) and I had a surprisingly decent Cuban sandwich. After getting some chocolate for the road, we went to 3 Fonteinen, another lambic brewery. We actually stayed to enjoy a beer (Homage 2013- a specialty lambic blend with raspberries and cherries), and bought more to go. Mariah really enjoys the lambic beers (basically the only type of beer she will drink), so she even bought a shirt.

Favorite Brussels breakfast spot. And yes, we already stopped at our favorite chocolate shop. We needed to break a 20 for the parking meter.

New shirt!

Short on time, we continued our way southeast, deep into the French-speaking region of Belgium and very close to the border. We made it to our destination about an hour before it was closed to visitors, which turned out to be just enough to marvel at the beautiful Abbaye d’Orval. The majority of the abbey is closed to visitors (unless you schedule a spiritual retreat of two to seven days), but you can still see the amazing architecture. The sculpture of Mary and the infant Jesus is as large as it is breathtaking, and is the first thing that you notice arriving to the abbey. The ruins of the old abbey are open to visitors, and are very beautiful as well. After taking in the sites, we stopped at the nearby A l’Ange Gardien café for dinner and Petite Orval, which is a lighter version of the famous Orval beer only available to the public at this café. After dinner, we drove to our hotel just outside the town of Dinant. Dinant, as we found out, is the home of the inventor of the saxophone, and fully embraces that heritage. Several countries from around the globe painted custom saxophone statues to display in the town. I have to say that the Dutch Delft saxophone was one of the more impressive ones!

Abbaye d’Orvale

In the morning, we decided to double back to the French border to visit yet another abbey, Abbaye de Chimay. Chimay has long been one of my favorites—especially the blue-labeled grand cru (go by color if you’re looking for it, as the label name changes but the color indicates the beer). We bought tickets to see a short museum that explains the origins of the brewery and beers, and it included a free beer! We also explored the abbey itself, which included a nice walk through the woods and a peek into the church (mass was in session, so we tried not to disturb the ceremony). We made our way back to the bar and enjoyed our beers. I strongly debated buying a bike jersey, but decided I wouldn’t wear it for at least a year and I already spent an exorbitant amount of money on beer. Regardless, we left and made our way back to the Netherlands, but not without a quick stop back in Dinant for some Neuhaus Belgian chocolate!

Chimay

Crossing the border back into the Netherlands, we decided to make yet another stop at yet another abbey. This time we visited Abdij Koningshoeven, the older and more widely known of the two Trappist abbeys in the Netherlands. Haven’t heard of it? Ask your liquor store for ‘La Trappe,’ and I’m sure they have some. The grounds of this abbey are largely inaccessible to the public, much like Orval. However, they have a large restaurant with a patio and a humongous lawn where you can sprawl out and enjoy some beer. The only downside is that the bartenders often over-pour and allow the beer to spill over on the glass before clearing the excess head with a bar blade (think the Stella Antois commercials). It’s very Dutch and very annoying. But I digress, the abbey is very much worth visiting, and I did pick up a barrel-aged quad from the shop before we made our way back to Amsterdam. We’re still enjoying our European adventures, even when we aren’t jet setting for the weekend.

Tot ziens for now!

#tauersgodutch #Belgium #roadtrip

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trekwithtaylor · 7 years

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Country #72 - Finland

The Snow

This morning my mom and I, unfortunately, had to say goodbye to Amsterdam after a perfect two days. It was a really early morning at that, as our flight from Amsterdam to Helsinki was at 7am. We took an Uber to the train station (because transit was not running yet) and then took a quick train to the airport. Now that we are in the Schengen Zone we didn’t have to go through immigration so the process at the airport was really simple. It wasn’t too long of a flight thank goodness, but we made a new friend on the flight! My mom chatted more than me but Ralph talked with us about lots of different things. Feel free to check out his blog (ralphslond.com)! You never know what kind of cool people you will meet on an airplane.

After we landed we took the train into Helsinki. It is super simple and is actually one of the first places that I that I travelled on my own when I studied abroad, so it definitely holds a special little place for me. I loved my last visit to Helsinki and was really looking forward to today! We were in the city in about twenty minutes and stored our luggage in the lockers in the Helsinki central train station. Our next stop was to eat lunch at a great little burger spot near the station called Friends & Brgrs. It was a great place to just look out at the city, which was especially interesting today because it was Finland’s 100th anniversary of Independence! We had no idea until we were leaving Amsterdam that today was so important in Finland, but hoped that it would make the day even more interesting!

After a filling lunch, we made our way to our first stop of the day, to try and find my mom a new memory card for her camera because hers had broken. We quickly found out, however, that 100 years of independence means that literally every store is closed. Restaurants and most tourist sites tended to be open though! Our first actual stop of the day, then, was the Kamppi Chapel of Silence. Kampii Chapel is a spiritual building (but not technically a church) that is open to everyone. The coolest part about it is that is just open for anyone to come in and sit and think, and it completely cuts off all outside noise from the busy square just right outside. It is also a really uniquely designed building, which makes sense when you learn that it was built as part of the World Design Capital program in 2012.

After enjoying the silence we made our way to Kissima, Helsinki’s Modern Art Museum, and honestly one of the best modern art museums I’ve been to! What is so impressive is that both times I have been to Kissima it has been entirely different, but both times it has been incredibly innovative and insightful. This time was especially cool because the current exhibits focused on technology and art. If you ever find yourself in Helsinki this museum is a must see! What was also pretty funny was that while we were in the museum we saw a van accidentally run into a statue outside. I say run into, but it was more like a gentle tap. That gentle tap, though, caused a giant leak in the van, and as we progressed through the museum the scene outside progressed from the guy in the van realizing he screwed up to the police and a tow truck on the scene.

After Kissima we headed over towards Helsinki Cathedral, one of the most iconic spots in Helsinki. I love how giant and imposing the church is, but also how simple and beautiful it is! My visit this time stood in stark contrast to last – there was absolutely no one there when I visited last February, but this time there were crowds everywhere due to the adorable Christmas market! It was truly the perfect setting for a Christmas market, right in front of the incredible Helsinki Cathedral. The stalls were all very original and local which I really appreciated. We really enjoyed walking through all of them, and I was very excited to find that Regatta Café, one of my favorite stops on my last trip to Helsinki, had a stall as well! It is a cozy little café on the edge of a tiny pond out of the center of the city so we didn’t have enough time to see it today, but the stall was definitely a good way to make up for that! We had some tasty (and warm) hot chocolate and a great plum pastry as well.

Once we finished at the market we then walked over to the Market Square area which was filled with people for the Independence Day celebrations. There were one hundred Finnish flags set up which was really cool, and the area in general is a great one because it is right on the water. Our last stop of the day was to walk up Esplanadi, which is sort of Helsinki’s high street and was adorably decorated for Christmas. In fact, Helsinki killed it with the Christmas decorations. It felt like there were beautiful street decorations around every corner, and each street was unique. It was great! After walking down Esplanadi and passing by Stockmann department store to look at their great window decorations, we then headed back to the central station to get our bags and buy a few snacks.

From the central station, we took the tram straight to the West Terminal, where our ferry/cruise (I’m still not quite sure what it would be classified as) was leaving from. We are taking the cruise from Helsinki to St. Petersburg, Russia, and then back again in two days. The exciting part about doing St. Petersburg this way is that we don’t need to get a Russian visa, which can be about $300. Taking this ferry (the Moby/SPL line) saved us cost and also was not too bad on time as both rides we would be sleeping overnight. We checked in and received our boarding card/room key, arrival card, and departure card. We then walked up to board the boat and headed to our room. It was tiny, but I’m glad we at least splurged to not have the beds right on top of one another! The room felt kind of like a hostel level accommodation, but we did have our own small bathroom at least, and the room was clean.

We got settled in our tiny space before heading up to explore the boat. There were a few restaurants, a casino, lounge, sauna, movie theater, and a few other amenities. We decided to eat pizza and were able to watch as Helsinki faded away into the distance, as did my cell service. We were soon in the middle of absolute nowhere (technically the Gulf of Finland), and after we finished eating we headed back down to our room. We both fell asleep really early as it had been such a long day and we were exhausted. I’m hoping to get a good night’s sleep on the boat before we hit the ground running in St. Petersburg in the morning!

72 countries down, 125 to go.

For more information on Finland click here to read my guide.

#Helsinki #Finland #Country 72

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prague-lematic · 7 years

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wow wow wow! This weekend has got to be one of my most favorites. Matt Hollis, Corbin Elliot, Kellie Seitz, Olivia Scrivner and I headed out to the Netherlands for our “gals weekend” as we ended up calling it. Olivia and I had planned just enough in Amsterdam so we’d have some structure and just a little that we’d feel free and go with the flow- the perfect mix for a weekend trip. We left Thursday evening and arrived at the house around 10:30 PM. The airport was about 45 minutes away from the house, so we uber vanned to the house which by the way, was a magical experience. 10/10 recommend the uber vans. So much room! We were all pleasantly surprised and happy when we came upon what would be the house we’d be staying in. Shout out to Olivia for having the coolest family friends of them all, who live in Noordwijk, Netherlands (a city in the west of the Netherlands), just an hour from Amsterdam and right on the beach. It was down this little beach street and was by far the most modern house on it. As we stayed through out the weekend, we noticed more and more bikers down the road stopping to point at it or take pictures. We stayed in the guest house/room, which was above their garage. The family was nice enough to leave us breakfast for every day and chardonnay (bless). We made mimosas and had croissants and found snacks on the second day which was the best. She even left us stroopwafels (YUM YUM YUM). That first evening though, we really just admired the place we got to stay in and peeked around. We had our own kitchenette and bathroom and it was spacious. Felt like a little home. The next day bright and early we took the bus to the train station and trained into Amsterdam… we underestimated how much time it would take to get there so when we arrived in Amsterdam at 10:20 and had Anne Frank house time slot ending at 10:15 you can imagine us sweating, literally running through the city of Amsterdam to be able to get inside. We were lucky enough to get inside after being 20 minutes late. It was absolutely surreal getting to walk around where the Frank family hid for 2 years. You could see her magazine cut outs on her bedroom wall and more. You weren’t allowed to take pictures, so I did buy a few postcards. It was just crazy what this family did to stay alive and how quiet they had to be. You could see family grocery lists and at the end of the visit, you even saw her actual diary. Through out the visit, each room had a quote or two from Anne’s diary. Absolutely crazy. It was amazing to live through this young girls life and perspective at this time, knowing her and her family would be living similar lives to those people if they hadn’t been hiding. The diary makes Anne so normal and so young, but so brave too. She writes about so many big world things and issues at that time. It was truly amazing and sad to be there and be able to see it all and all the history along with it. I think one person at the movie at the end said it best: “Her (Anne’s) would haves are our opportunities.” We must feel so lucky and so fortunate to live how we live today and to be free. We must do everything and see everything we can, because she would have liked to. It just makes you feel lucky and saddened for the history. After the house, we all caught our breath and got brunch on a canal. FIRST OF ALL, the canals are everywhere and chained with bikes along them and so beautiful. I could’ve sat at the canals all day and most people did. Lots of people were sun bathing on the edge of them. Just lovely. We all ate up some big meals and headed back towards the center/Dam Street where the carnival was. There was carnival food and traditional Dutch desserts. Yum. And endless rides. We chose to hop on our river/canal cruise. There was so many that it was almost hard to find ours but low and behold, there it was! the orange canal cruise boat labled “Lovers Canal Cruise.” My crew wouldn’t let me live that one down though I swear it wasn’t called that online. It turned out to be mostly families and just regular tourists so it was great. It was the most glorious day with the sun peeking through the clouds and the water shining and a light breeze off the water. Perfection. We learned about the different buildings and the architecture there. We learned about the tilting buildings along the canals, which were the end results of them being built in mud and more which ended up rotting. It was interesting because not all the buildings lined up because of this, but it was oddly beautiful and different. Amsterdam was already one of my favorite places. The air seemed fresher, though of course marijuana was everywhere but the air was cleaner (didn’t smell any cigarettes! hallelujah!). The people were SO SO kind. The ladies who printed our “boarding passes” for the canal cruise were so warm and honest and wanted to know how we liked Amsterdam. I could’ve sat and talked to them forever. After the canal cruise, we all headed back to the carnival in Dam Square and indulged in the desserts. Olivia got little pancakes, Matt got something dutch and Corbin and I got warm waffles with strawberries and chocolate. YUM. Ugh I can just taste it all now. We walked around for awhile, saw some coffee shops and cafes and then Matt and Corbin went on a carnival ride. After this, we went to a bar and just hung out. We were all pretty tired so around 10 PM we hopped back on the train and did backwards what we had done transportation wise this morning. What a long day! We all passed out when we got back, of course first watching the boys play “Magic.” Some guy they’re obsessed with! None of us had wifi that night so we talked for awhile and just enjoyed each others company before passing out. The next day we slept in a bit and then figured out our biking situation. With the help of the housekeeper (love him, miss him and his sass) he got the bikes from the garage for us. We quickly realized the garage had a car elevator AKA coolest thing I’ve ever seen. Olivia and I were able to fit on the two bikes and the rest of the crew headed to a bike shop and got bikes for the entire day for just 10 euros. We were ready for Lisse to see the flowers. Today was the most scenic day in awhile, probably ever when I look back at my life. It was like a painting everywhere you looked through out the 40 minute bike ride there and back. I couldn’t biked around forever if it wasn’t for how sore my legs were on the way back hahah. First of all, thank you Netherlands for being the most beautiful and having the most amazing bike paths everywhere literally and also for letting the bikers have the right of way. So crazy to me! Not a single car blew by me at any intersection- so sweeeeet. We enjoyed the fields of flowers and the sunshine and the glorious breeze before stopping at the first restaurant we saw right on the edge of Lisse. We all got some grub before heading back. Everyone who rented a bike had to rush back to get it there on time, so Olivia and I took our time getting back, stopping once again at the flower fields and just enjoying the peacefulness of the ride. When we all caught up by the hotels in the center of Noordwijk we decided it was beach time. Naturally, I was the happiest little clam of them all once we arrived there. We’d passed it numerous times, but feeling the sand in between my toes and hearing the crash of the waves and the lapping was unlike anything else. I ugly cried for about 10 minutes before composing myself and dipping my toes in the nippy ocean. Wow, had I missed that. After a long bike ride in the warm sun there is nothing like the cold ocean. I walked into my knees, not caring that my jeans were getting soaked. Olivia coming from Cali was also the happiest on the beach. We both ran around for awhile before heading back to the house. We all headed back to get all dressed up for our beach dinner reservation. We had the nicest dinner of all time- but seriously. We planned it perfectly for sunset and man oh man was the peachey-orange/pink/light purple sunset the most beautiful over the ocean. There were dangly lights outside and couches and swings. I was in love. The staff was super chill and beachy too. I could’ve sat there all evening. We all got drinks and dinner and talked for hours there. It was candle lit as well so, so cute. I miss the beach already!! Sunday was our last day in the Netherlands, so after our scenic day we opted to head back into Amsterdam to do a few more touristy things and grab some souvenirs. When we first arrived, we decided it was time to head to the all famous iamsterdam sign! It was about a 30 minute walk from the central train station. It was strategic planning how to climb the letters and then make sure you all got on before other tourists. It was tricky and busy! I climbed to the top of the A happily, but with a little help from my friends of course. After that, we walked around to find the Fault in Our Stars bench. It had locks on it and people had signed it with quotes from the book/movie and just lovers initials. It was adorable. Kellie and I got the tacky picture of us pretending to be the characters. Gotta love us. Then we headed to this cute Heineken outdoor seating café/restaurant and got the BEST TOASTED SANDWICHES EVER. It was another perfect day and I actually even got a little sunburnt. Felt good though. I need more sun! After that, we stopped for souvenirs and for the carnival. I loaded up on souvenirs, because this was one of my favorite places I’ve been. Bring me back!!!! I hope to bring my family here one day, that would be great. At the carnival, Olivia, Matt and I decided to do the swings. Though, they weren’t just ordinary swings. They went 60 meters high up into the air, looking over all of Amsterdam. They didn’t appear to be going fast, though you’re up there for a good whole 5 minutes which is a long time when you get up there and realize how scary heights actually are. Olivia and I sang some Christmas carols to make it through and often just repeated back and forth “i’m scared” but Matt got a good video of the view while we were up there, so it was worth it hahah. All in all, a cool experience. After that, we sat at a bar where the bartender asked me if I was from New Zeland and then Canada once he heard my accent (weird) and we got yummy strawberry margaritas. So good. Wish we could’ve stayed longer but our flight was calling us. We got there with about 20 minutes to spare and then off we were to Prague. The sunglass squad/gals weekend was incredible. I will remember it fondly. Amsterdam, I love you with my whole heart. Noordwijk, you are just beautiful and made it feel like home. XOXO I will be back!

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micheltaanman-blog · 2 years

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Amsterdam - Chinatown in Amsterdam

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lifeofthibault · 8 years

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Currently listening to: Drake’s freshly released “More Life“ album/playlist/project.

I’m waiting at the airport, on my way home after spending the weekend with S.

I always have a great time in this city, but the real reason behind the trip was to see her again, and be able to spend some quality time together. In all honesty, we were just looking for a good place to meet, in Europe, and The Netherlands happened to be a cheap and direct flight for both of us.

She had been in Amsterdam once before when she was a child, with her family. As for me, I spent a week in the Netherlands last year but only two short days in the city. The rest had been spent outside and visiting other places.

Looking back, we were been lucky enough to find some rays of sunshine during a weekend when the forecast promised fairly constant rain.

Day One: Traveling outside of time and space

The weekend started with the first flight of the day at 6:30am for me. I landed at Schipol airport at 8:30am and met with S a couple of minutes after that.

Seeing her, holding her, and kissing her felt unreal at first, after spending a month away from one another. But the good habits came back quickly and naturally: talking, holding hands, and giving one another a relaxed look full of excitement, love, desire, and happiness.

With such an early arrival, and small bags, we decided to make the most of the day and started walking around the city, delaying our hotel check-in for later that afternoon.

We started with a coffee in Bocca, a coffeehouse recommended by some of my local friends. We both needed that extra caffeine.

From there, we went to the flower market, on the canals, and then walked to Museumplein, the park and museums district. Around this green space stand 4 museums, amongst which the Van Gogh Museum, the Rijksmuseum, the Museum of Design & Modern Art and Moco, a mansion-turned-Museum where they were having two artists in display — more on that later.

Museumplein is also the area where stands one of the few “I am sterdam signs — there are a few of those located at different landmarks across the city. Walking by the sign was also a great opportunity to take a couple of pictures together.

We continued our walk along the canals and charming old buildings, heading North. As we reached midday, we stopped at Fou Fow Ramen, a Sino-Japanese modern ramen bar. The hot broth and warm food were exactly what we needed to recharge our batteries and power through the rest of the day.

As an early afternoon food coma hit us, we decided to head to the hotel to drop our bags and take a quick nap, before heading back out later in the evening.

For this trip, we were staying in the very comfortable Qbic hotel. Yes, for those paying attention, it’s the same hotel as the one I was in, during the London trip. The hotel is located just outside of the city, about 15mn away from the center on a quick tramway ride.

We got back to the city around 6pm and went searching for yet another cappuccino. Then came the time to introduce_S_ to another Dutch specialty: homemade fries with satay/peanut-sauce.

We shared a small cone ahead of dinner and went on the lookout for a nightly canal ride under the rain. A ticket with Blue Boat Company gets you a 90 minute tour as well as snacks and a drink. With the city lights along the canals, needless to say that it was as scenic and romantic as one would have hoped.

After the tour, we looked for dinner and ended up at Lotti’s, the restaurant inside of The Hoxton, one of Amsterdam’s coolest hotels. She went for a mushroom soup while I lost my mind over a plate of delicious pumpkin raviolis. There was a great and hip atmosphere at Lotti’s. Keeping in mind that it was St Patrick’s day, the restaurant/bar was filled with a mix of tourists and locally-based hip creatives coming from the office. A great blend over a great DJ-set: I can only recommend this place for the food, drinks, and local ambiance.

Coming out of dinner, it was time to go and pay a visit to Amsterdam’s infamous Red Lights District.

The funny thing about this is that photos are absolutely forbidden, which means that walking in these streets in the evening is something to experience, not something that one can picture, explain, or show to people unfamiliar with it. As such, S found herself amused and confused by the situation both at once. She wasn’t sure what to expect, which is probably the best way to see the nightworkers in their element.

Once we finished our visit, we decided to head back to the hotel and call it an early night.

Day Two: More Life

We left the hotel around 11am in the morning after a good night of sleep. We got a quick breakfast at Cafe Belmondo, nearby, just before hoping on the tram.

The program for the day was to visit museums before lunch and improvise after that. We decided to start with the Van Gogh Museum, and followed it with the smaller Moco.

The first one is fairly self explanatory: a huge building exhibiting the best work from one of the most famous and influential artists of the 19th century, on about 4 or 5 different levels.

Moco, on the other hand, had two temporary exhibitions, one on the surreal Salvador Dali, and the other one on Banksy. As fans of streetart, we just had to get our tickets, if only for the Banksy one.

After educating ourselves a bit more about the Arts, we went searching for food. S was in the mood for a burger so we naturally thought about hitting the Hard Rock Café nearby. However, with a 45mn wait at 2:30pm, we decided to go elsewhere. That’s when we stumbled upon Palladium.

Palladium is predominantly a bar that serves food. However: – They also serve one of the best cappuccinos in town. – The food is actually amazing.

We were happily surprised by the atmosphere, the food, and our giant Gin and Tonics. S had a refreshing cucumber G&T, while I chose a cinnamon & orange one.

Leaving the restaurant, I wanted to show S one of my favorite places in town, that I knew she’d like, The American Book Center: a four-stories-high building with magazines, stationary, and books on books on books, all in English, and offering a variety of subjects.

One can find anything from Arts, fashion and design books, travel guides, comics or poetry collections. They also have a concept I love: “Blind Dates”: books all wrapped up in paper, without a title or author, just a 10 words description to get you to buy and be surprised by the reading material.

Once we were down browsing, it was time for more alcohol, so we naturally went to BeerTemple, an American Beer Bar sporting close to 20 beers in tap and about three times the same amount of bottles of imported brews from all around the world. As both fans of India Pale Ales, we were delighted to discover new drinks to try.

From BeerTemple, I took the initiative to take_S_ to another lesser-known landmark of the city: the public library. Located on the edge of the river, just after the main train station, the building has 7 floors with a restaurant and a terrace overlooking the city, a great place to just take a breather away from the packed center of the Dutch capital.

Unfortunately the terrace is closed until the beginning of April and we couldn’t get out. However, the final stop of the day would take us to an even more scenic panoramic view.

Right next to the Library is the Doubletree Hilton hotel, and more importantly, its Sky Lounge rooftop bar. We arrived around 7:30pm to find the place packed and it took us a couple of minutes to find a table.

Once we got there, S ordered a champagne-based cocktail called Seduction, while I chose something vermouth-based. The drinks came alongside chili-flavored popcorn, a very interesting mix. We decided to also grab a bite while enjoying this very romantic and intimate moment. We shared a plate of cheese and a pumpkin risotto, before finishing with a sweet treat consisting of a Stracciatella, Hazelnut and Cookies’n’Cream ice cream from a local Dutch store.

We took an Uber out of sheer laziness to walk and then wait for yet another tramway, and called it a night.

Day Three: Flying back to reality

After a restful night of sleep, we woke up in the room, had a shower, packed, and decided to get breakfast at the hotel before leaving. The convenience of having a delicious breakfast at the hotel, a 10mn train ride from the airport, was too good to pass on.

We arrived at the airport just before 10am and I left S at the international terminal. Her flight was a couple of hours before mine, but considering her long-er trip, it was worth me coming with her, leaving her at the check-in gate, before finding my own terminal and security stand.

Once at the airport, I had my third and fourth coffees of the day, a quick lunch, and some time by my boarding gate, to relax, catch up on some articles saved in my Instapaper, read some comics, and send a few messages with my friends. I also messaged S and we exchanged some of the pictures we took over the weekend.

Realizing our growing feelings and affection towards one another, taking our tickets to meet in Amsterdam was the best decision we could have possibly taken. All weekend long, being with her has been an intimate and timeless experience, where it felt like we were the only two humans around at times.

I mentioned previously that S travels a lot for work, and should continue to be in this situation until at least later this fall. However, with my upcoming trip starting in April, this may turn out making seeing each other again even easier.

At this point in time, there are talks of meeting again on other continents in another couple of weeks, for more adventures together, and the only obstacle to those upcoming adventures would be related to her superiors preventing her to have this time off. Not a big deal, in and out of itself.

I don’t know why my future is made of, but right now, all I know is that she’s in it.

Tales from a lovers' getaway in the Dutch Capital. Currently listening to: Drake's freshly released "More Life" album/playlist/project. I'm waiting at the airport, on my way home after…

#2017 #Amsterdam #dating #S #Travel

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foamingkitty · 8 years

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Tips from a local: Mathieu in Oud-West

Mathieu Garnier is a French lad living in the Oud West neighbourhood together with his German fiancée Talke and their two young daughters Dita and Hila. Mathieu is the co-founder of Holiday Sitters, a brand new company which provides (traveling) families in Amsterdam with babysitting services in the family’s native language. I’m so excited to share his tips of this lively and family friendly part of Amsterdam!

1. Best date night restaurant: Spagetteria. It’s hard to beat a good pasta. This place does just that. No reservations. Dead simple menu. Great pasta. Next to the perfect pasta they also have a couple of staples not to be missed: Sgroppino’s are delicious icy lemony cocktails made on demand. (Word of warning: They are dangerous. One Sgroppino can become five Sgroppini if you’re not careful.) Their Tiramisu is HUGE. Always served with two spoons as no human being no matter how hungry could finish one on their own.

2. Favourite family-friendly dinner spot: Restaurant with kids haven’t been a big thing for us as our 3 year old is so damn fussy about food. She just started to get into pizza. Forno is just around the corner and became a weekly staple. (Yes we love our gluten.) They have small pizzette for lunch and no nonsense pizzas. Dita loves their margherita with fresh mozzarella on top. Nom nom. (Also got a super sunny make-shift terrace in the warmer months which for some reason doesn’t get too busy.)

3. Cosiest local cafe (or best place to grab a take-away!): Trakteren. So lucky to have this café in my hood. It’s not cosy, it’s not hip and it offers no gimmicks. They just make the best cup of coffee in Amsterdam. Fact. The owners finished 3rd in the aeropress world championship. I have no idea what that means but I sure know the coffee is outstanding.

4. Trusted children’s shop: Big and Belg without a doubt. My fiancée drops 85% of my salary on this store every month (jk… sort of). Loads of stuff (maybe too much of it…) but they’re working on narrowing down their inventory as I write these words so that should be even more tightly curated in the days to come. Great selection on latest kids fashion, from Mini Rodini to Bobo Choses, TinyCottons and many many more. Great place to find really cool birthday presents too, small but great collection of kids books from local and international authors in both Dutch and English. Add to that a well curated selection of mostly wooden toy brands and you got a winner. Get in early on sale days as the store get ridiculously busy.

5. Favourite men’s shop: Afura. Pricey but outstanding selection of quality menswear. Each piece is worth every Eurocent (do people say eurocent… i did). Len, the shop owner, is passionate about ever piece and brand he carries in the store and offers outstanding service. And that says tones in a city where service is mostly non-existent. They carry a wide variety of brands focusses on minimal design, quality & craft made including but not limited to Côte et Ciel, Han Kjobenhaven, Clarks Originals, Norse projects. They will be carrying womenswear very soon which makes my fiancée very happy as she doesn’t have a fashion shop she really likes in the area.

6. Coolest local playground: Cremerplein. Got to love the place. It’s huge yet tucked away enough that it’s got this “secret local spot vibe.” Got tones of stuff for kids of all age and sizes from swings, water pump, huge sandpit, 5-a-side football pitch, basketball hoop, monkey castle and probably a few other structures I can’t think of at the moment. During the week a community-centre puts toys, footballs and tricycles at the kids’ disposal. When the weather gets warm enough they fill up the paddling pool and kids go bananas.

7. Favourite food shop: My fiancée and I got into vegetarian cooking over the last 4 years. We’re now converts to Ottolenghi and Anna Jones. Their books are amazing and will change the way you eat in the best way possible. It opens a world of flavour and creativity in food you had no idea existed. The problem we faced when first getting into it is all the exotic ingredients we had no idea about and where to find them. With a bit of work and research we found out that our neighbourhood is dotted with exotic grocers carrying everything we needed to nail those recipes. Here are our 3 essential local grocers: – Olgun Groente and Fruithandel. Fresh, great quality fruits, veggies and herbs. Plus good selection of spices.You’ll find anything you need to prepare dishes with mediterranean influences stretching from Morocco to Israel. – Hong Kong Superstore. Find everything you need for all things asian here. Miso, soft or firm tofu, huge cheap bags of quality rice, all kinds of asian veggies, they have EVERYTHING to nail a delicious asian dish. – De Volkskruidentuin. This is THE place for exotic spices, nuts, seeds. If you can’t find a super exotic ingredient that will make or break your dish in the two shops above these guys will have it.

8. Best shop for homewares, fun finds, or special gifts: I have a soft spot for Dolores Del Dia Vintage Design for quirky vintage finds. This is all about luck. On a good day you could find a million delightful things in there. The best strategy is to walk past regularly, to stretch your luck and look inside. Who knows? Maybe Dolores has a life-size porcelain greyhound that day or a copper stork or a mid century Pastoe rocking chair tucked away in a corner waiting for you to find it.

9. Local activity center or museum: De filmhallen. Netflix and my pursuit for convenience over everything else has killed my relationship to films. Lately, they’ve become background noise to me and my fiancée brainlessly scrolling feeds of unimportant information on our phones. Going on date-nights to see movies is so so so important to us. That’s why having a good and well programmed theatre like De Filmhallen is essential. Just put your phone away and let the big screen take you for a ride. After the film, stick around at the bar for a drink or two and fall in love with films again.

10. Favourite park or outdoor space: Vondelpark. It’s a treasure trove of playgrounds. You can hang loose at the Melkhuis, let them embrace their inner primate at Vondelpark Canopywalk or spot playgrounds designed by renown architect Aldo Van Eyck. They also have a huge area with a paddle pool which transforms into a human beehive on hot summer days. (If it gets too intense you can always head back to Cremerplein. I know i do.)

from kid games toys http://ift.tt/2mR4yd0 via kid games toys

#kid games toys

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fredericksmeg-blog · 8 years

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Amsterdam.

This blog is coming to you late. This is so time-consuming and I keep deciding to sleep instead of sitting down and writing. But here it is, no promises on quality, in 3 parts.

Today, you get Part I: Amsterdam.

On Thursday (the 19th), I woke up, made breakfast, and mentally prepared myself for our flight to Amsterdam. I’m a fundamentally stressed individual, so I packed and unpacked and packed again. Around 2:30, we (me, Bri, Natalie, Jasmine, Bridget, and Sarah) took the tube to the Victoria Rail Station to catch a train to Gatwick. The train ride was nice and sunny and we made it to Gatwick in plenty of time. We sat in an EAT while we waited for our gate to open, boarded our plane, and zipped off to the Netherlands. After we landed and went through passport control, we just stood in the beautifully decorated arrivals terminal and stared at the different outbound train platforms because it was all in Dutch and no one knew what to do. In the end we pretty much just ended up winging it and made it on a train to the Central Train station.

Sarah bravely led us to our hostel (sorry Nat, the “H-word”), which was a bit of a shock for all of us initially: it was everyone’s first experience with a hostel and definitely Natalie’s last experience with a hostel. We stayed in a mixed dorm with 20 beds, and some of there were already full when checked in – Amsterdam was dark and kinda shady when we got there at 11, so none of us felt great about that. We went to get food right away, and each of us ate a whole pizza. After that, we met Emily and Kaileen (they flew in later) as they checked in. I made my peace with the hostel and took a shower (honestly, nice showers), put some earplugs in, and passed out. Any anxiety I had about the hostel went away pretty quickly. I would do it again, but I definitely don’t speak for everybody when I say that.

On Friday we woke up in home sweet hostel, got ready, and walked across the city to get brunch at a magical, New Zealand-style café called Bakers and Roasters. I added to my eggs benedict tour of Europe and it was fantastic. A bunch of us got mimosas and Natalie accidentally had 6 shots of espresso. Sarah, Kaileen and I all ordered coffees that were actually espresso, and since Natalie got extra shots in her latte, we thought they were for her. After brunch, Natalie led the herd (punch-dancing all the way there) to the Anne Frank House, which was a completely unreal experience.

I think I read the Diary of Anne Frank in 6th or 7th grade. It is unbelievable to come into the physical space that she lived her life in hiding, having almost 10 years of background on the subject. It feels like it’s not real but you know it is. The rooms in the Annex are all empty, Otto Frank wanted it to reflect the fact that the people who lived in them are gone too. Overall it was a really sobering experience. At the end there was a video of lots of famous people and visitors talking about Anne Frank. Emma Thompson gave a speech there, where she said, “All her would-haves are our opportunities.” That summed up the way the visit left you feeling.

Honestly, I cannot shake that I went to the Anne Frank House on the day that Trump was inaugurated. After this week, that visit feels so important and impactful and also terrifying.

After that visit, we went across the canal to look at the Tulip Museum (gift shop, not the real deal), and visit the Amsterdam Cheese Museum, which was nothing less than a religious experience for me. So many cheese samples, great photo opportunities: 5 stars. Then we wandered for an hour or two. Some of us got some snacks and we camped out along the canal for a bit before we headed back across the city for dinner at a burger restaurant called Geflipt. We were there for a solid few hours, ordering drinks and then an appetizer platter of traditional Dutch snacks. My favorite, aside from the cheese and meats, were bitterballen, which are literally fried balls of gravy. Amazing. Why do we not have that in the United States. After dinner we went back to the hostel, regrouped, and a few of us went to a hostel bar nearby. It was pretty uneventful and we got back before midnight to prep for the next day.

On Saturday we woke up a little earlier than the day before and walked to De Carrousel for breakfast. Most of us got poffertjes, which are Dutch mini pancakes with butter and powdered sugar. They were amazing and now I’m hungry for them while I’m typing this. After breakfast we walked across the street to the Heineken tour, which was a necessity for this visit. Obviously Heineken isn’t my favorite, but it was a fun time and it’s pretty ingrained in the culture there. We spent an hour touring, and about an hour at the rooftop bar, which was awesome and had a great view. Definitely a lot like the Guinness tour. We got two “free” beers at the end and just kinda hung out. Afterwards we headed to the Van Gogh Museum. We walked into their museum campus right as the Women’s March on Amsterdam was wrapping up!! That gave me so much positive energy. So many dogs, such a great show of solidarity across the world. I was blown away.

The Van Gogh Museum was easily one of the highlights of our trip. It was laid out so you could follow his life, floor by floor. I learned so much about him that I hadn’t known before, and it was all very emotionally charged. I stared at “Self Portrait with Gray Hat” for ages. It is amazing that you can look at one of his paintings for a bit, refocus on a piece of color, and then the whole painting looks different. I love the colors and how he sees them and applies them to scenes in real life. Alongside paintings by Monet and Daubigny, that I find really beautiful because of their realism, Van Gogh’s look so similar in setting but so different in form. Who would have thought that millions of people would find them as astonishing as they do. Definitely not him.

After the museum, we took some typical tourist pictures at the I Amsterdam sign, which was absolutely flooded with people. We went into a café for a little rest, and some people had snacks. We sat there for a while and tried to figure out what to do for dinner. Ultimately we ended up going to a restaurant called The Pantry that serves traditional Dutch food. We had some lovely goat cheese croquettes, Hutspot (mashed potatoes with beef, onions, and carrots and a smoked sausage), and a wonderful cheese platter. When we were done eating, we walked through the Jewish Quarter of the city and stopped for hot chocolate; it was really cold in Amsterdam the whole time we were there, so frequent stops were necessary. After that we walked through the red light district, because you know, we were there and we kinda had to. On our way back to the hostel, we stopped for desserts. We got back, went to sleep, and got ready to leave for the airport early the next morning.

Our flight on Sunday was at 10-ish am, so we had to leave for the airport around 7. We took a train there, got breakfast, and hopped on our flight. I passed out on the plane easily. We took off at 10:25 and landed at 10:45 because time zones are fun. After a relatively quick tube home, not too much happened. I unpacked, made some food, touched based with my parents, and facetimed Will for the first time since Wednesday to tell him all about our weekend. :)

Overall, Amsterdam was one of the weirdest and coolest places I’ve ever been. I wish I had done a little more research before I went but it is what it is. I saw what I really wanted to see and got to walk pretty much the whole city. I feel like the Netherlands are so unique, I kept trying to compare it to other places I’ve been but couldn’t really pinpoint it. It had an Eastern European vibe about it, but it had an edgier feel (I don’t even think that’s the right word). I loved all of the bikes, trams, and overall lack of car traffic. The bikes are big and clunky, with bells and baskets and large handlebars. The Dutch are definitely the most aggressive bikers I’ve ever seen and I wish it wasn’t so cold so I could have tried. But yeah, Amsterdam. Very interesting culturally and especially architecturally. I had a great time on that trip despite its hiccups, and would love to go back there when I’m older and have myself a little bit more together.

Traveling with 8 people was a bit of a challenge, and it’s probably not going to happen again for the rest of our time here, because everyone kind of has their own plans. It was nice to do our first trip as a big group though, I’m a big fan of the people I’ve met here and I’m laughing pretty much constantly when we’re together. If any of you are reading this, thx for dealing with me.

There it is! Hopefully tomorrow I can post about the rest of my week. Thanks for reading this mess.

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prague-lematic · 7 years

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Noordwijk, Netherlands, Amsterdam, Netherlands & Lisse, Netherlands

wow wow wow! This weekend has got to be one of my most favorites. Matt Hollis, Corbin Elliot, Kellie Seitz, Olivia Scrivner and I headed out to the Netherlands for our “gals weekend” as we ended up calling it. Olivia and I had planned just enough in Amsterdam so we’d have some structure and just a little that we’d feel free and go with the flow- the perfect mix for a weekend trip. We left Thursday evening and arrived at the house around 10:30 PM. The airport was about 45 minutes away from the house, so we uber vanned to the house which by the way, was a magical experience. 10/10 recommend the uber vans. So much room! We were all pleasantly surprised and happy when we came upon what would be the house we’d be staying in. Shout out to Olivia for having the coolest family friends of them all, who live in Noordwijk, Netherlands (a city in the west of the Netherlands), just an hour from Amsterdam and right on the beach. It was down this little beach street and was by far the most modern house on it. As we stayed through out the weekend, we noticed more and more bikers down the road stopping to point at it or take pictures. We stayed in the guest house/room, which was above their garage. The family was nice enough to leave us breakfast for every day and chardonnay (bless). We made mimosas and had croissants and found snacks on the second day which was the best. She even left us stroopwafels (YUM YUM YUM). That first evening though, we really just admired the place we got to stay in and peeked around. We had our own kitchenette and bathroom and it was spacious. Felt like a little home. The next day bright and early we took the bus to the train station and trained into Amsterdam... we underestimated how much time it would take to get there so when we arrived in Amsterdam at 10:20 and had Anne Frank house time slot ending at 10:15 you can imagine us sweating, literally running through the city of Amsterdam to be able to get inside. We were lucky enough to get inside after being 20 minutes late. It was absolutely surreal getting to walk around where the Frank family hid for 2 years. You could see her magazine cut outs on her bedroom wall and more. You weren’t allowed to take pictures, so I did buy a few postcards. It was just crazy what this family did to stay alive and how quiet they had to be. You could see family grocery lists and at the end of the visit, you even saw her actual diary. Through out the visit, each room had a quote or two from Anne’s diary. Absolutely crazy. It was amazing to live through this young girls life and perspective at this time, knowing her and her family would be living similar lives to those people if they hadn’t been hiding. The diary makes Anne so normal and so young, but so brave too. She writes about so many big world things and issues at that time. It was truly amazing and sad to be there and be able to see it all and all the history along with it. I think one person at the movie at the end said it best: “Her (Anne’s) would haves are our opportunities.” We must feel so lucky and so fortunate to live how we live today and to be free. We must do everything and see everything we can, because she would have liked to. It just makes you feel lucky and saddened for the history. After the house, we all caught our breath and got brunch on a canal. FIRST OF ALL, the canals are everywhere and chained with bikes along them and so beautiful. I could’ve sat at the canals all day and most people did. Lots of people were sun bathing on the edge of them. Just lovely. We all ate up some big meals and headed back towards the center/Dam Street where the carnival was. There was carnival food and traditional Dutch desserts. Yum. And endless rides. We chose to hop on our river/canal cruise. There was so many that it was almost hard to find ours but low and behold, there it was! the orange canal cruise boat labled “Lovers Canal Cruise.” My crew wouldn’t let me live that one down though I swear it wasn’t called that online. It turned out to be mostly families and just regular tourists so it was great. It was the most glorious day with the sun peeking through the clouds and the water shining and a light breeze off the water. Perfection. We learned about the different buildings and the architecture there. We learned about the tilting buildings along the canals, which were the end results of them being built in mud and more which ended up rotting. It was interesting because not all the buildings lined up because of this, but it was oddly beautiful and different. Amsterdam was already one of my favorite places. The air seemed fresher, though of course marijuana was everywhere but the air was cleaner (didn’t smell any cigarettes! hallelujah!). The people were SO SO kind. The ladies who printed our “boarding passes” for the canal cruise were so warm and honest and wanted to know how we liked Amsterdam. I could’ve sat and talked to them forever. After the canal cruise, we all headed back to the carnival in Dam Square and indulged in the desserts. Olivia got little pancakes, Matt got something dutch and Corbin and I got warm waffles with strawberries and chocolate. YUM. Ugh I can just taste it all now. We walked around for awhile, saw some coffee shops and cafes and then Matt and Corbin went on a carnival ride. After this, we went to a bar and just hung out. We were all pretty tired so around 10 PM we hopped back on the train and did backwards what we had done transportation wise this morning. What a long day! We all passed out when we got back, of course first watching the boys play “Magic.” Some guy they’re obsessed with! None of us had wifi that night so we talked for awhile and just enjoyed each others company before passing out. The next day we slept in a bit and then figured out our biking situation. With the help of the housekeeper (love him, miss him and his sass) he got the bikes from the garage for us. We quickly realized the garage had a car elevator AKA coolest thing I've ever seen. Olivia and I were able to fit on the two bikes and the rest of the crew headed to a bike shop and got bikes for the entire day for just 10 euros. We were ready for Lisse to see the flowers. Today was the most scenic day in awhile, probably ever when I look back at my life. It was like a painting everywhere you looked through out the 40 minute bike ride there and back. I couldn’t biked around forever if it wasn’t for how sore my legs were on the way back hahah. First of all, thank you Netherlands for being the most beautiful and having the most amazing bike paths everywhere literally and also for letting the bikers have the right of way. So crazy to me! Not a single car blew by me at any intersection- so sweeeeet. We enjoyed the fields of flowers and the sunshine and the glorious breeze before stopping at the first restaurant we saw right on the edge of Lisse. We all got some grub before heading back. Everyone who rented a bike had to rush back to get it there on time, so Olivia and I took our time getting back, stopping once again at the flower fields and just enjoying the peacefulness of the ride. When we all caught up by the hotels in the center of Noordwijk we decided it was beach time. Naturally, I was the happiest little clam of them all once we arrived there. We’d passed it numerous times, but feeling the sand in between my toes and hearing the crash of the waves and the lapping was unlike anything else. I ugly cried for about 10 minutes before composing myself and dipping my toes in the nippy ocean. Wow, had I missed that. After a long bike ride in the warm sun there is nothing like the cold ocean. I walked into my knees, not caring that my jeans were getting soaked. Olivia coming from Cali was also the happiest on the beach. We both ran around for awhile before heading back to the house. We all headed back to get all dressed up for our beach dinner reservation. We had the nicest dinner of all time- but seriously. We planned it perfectly for sunset and man oh man was the peachey-orange/pink/light purple sunset the most beautiful over the ocean. There were dangly lights outside and couches and swings. I was in love. The staff was super chill and beachy too. I could’ve sat there all evening. We all got drinks and dinner and talked for hours there. It was candle lit as well so, so cute. I miss the beach already!! Sunday was our last day in the Netherlands, so after our scenic day we opted to head back into Amsterdam to do a few more touristy things and grab some souvenirs. When we first arrived, we decided it was time to head to the all famous iamsterdam sign! It was about a 30 minute walk from the central train station. It was strategic planning how to climb the letters and then make sure you all got on before other tourists. It was tricky and busy! I climbed to the top of the A happily, but with a little help from my friends of course. After that, we walked around to find the Fault in Our Stars bench. It had locks on it and people had signed it with quotes from the book/movie and just lovers initials. It was adorable. Kellie and I got the tacky picture of us pretending to be the characters. Gotta love us. Then we headed to this cute Heineken outdoor seating café/restaurant and got the BEST TOASTED SANDWICHES EVER. It was another perfect day and I actually even got a little sunburnt. Felt good though. I need more sun! After that, we stopped for souvenirs and for the carnival. I loaded up on souvenirs, because this was one of my favorite places I’ve been. Bring me back!!!! I hope to bring my family here one day, that would be great. At the carnival, Olivia, Matt and I decided to do the swings. Though, they weren’t just ordinary swings. They went 60 meters high up into the air, looking over all of Amsterdam. They didn’t appear to be going fast, though you’re up there for a good whole 5 minutes which is a long time when you get up there and realize how scary heights actually are. Olivia and I sang some Christmas carols to make it through and often just repeated back and forth “i’m scared” but Matt got a good video of the view while we were up there, so it was worth it hahah. All in all, a cool experience. After that, we sat at a bar where the bartender asked me if I was from New Zeland and then Canada once he heard my accent (weird) and we got yummy strawberry margaritas. So good. Wish we could've stayed longer but our flight was calling us. We got there with about 20 minutes to spare and then off we were to Prague. The sunglass squad/gals weekend was incredible. I will remember it fondly. Amsterdam, I love you with my whole heart. Noordwijk, you are just beautiful and made it feel like home. XOXO I will be back!

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